On April 22, the Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center, in cooperation with the Health Projects Center (HPC), will be present the Caregiver University: Caring For U 2023, a free, four-hour event dedicated to helping home caregivers cope with what is, for many, the toughest job in the world.
Caring For U is the reverse of what you would expect from a conference on caregiving, according to event organizer Vanessa Aguilera-Viorato, a family consultant at the resource center. Rather than getting access to resources for the patient, the focus will be on the caregivers themselves.
“It’s basically a day when caregivers will learn about self-care and caregiver well-being,” Aguilera-Viorato said. “Caring for yourself is one of the most important tasks you can do as a caregiver. You need to learn how to take care of yourself and understand that it’s not selfish behavior to put yourself first.”
A study by the Centers for Disease Control estimates that one in five Californians over the age of 45 currently acts as a caregiver for a family member or friend. But caring for a loved one on a steady basis can take a toll on a caregiver’s physical and mental health.
The CDC also says that home caregivers are more likely to suffer from chronic disease due to stress: 37% of home caregivers report they get insufficient sleep; 15% experience an average of 14 or more mentally unhealthy days a month; and up to 70% suffer from depression.
“When I began taking care of my mom, I thought, ‘What am I doing?” said Sally Hail, who was the caregiver for her mother, Doris Teeple. “She told me, ‘Just put me in a home,’ but I wasn’t going to do that. But I had to do everything for her and I just did not know how to handle it all. It’s a different mindset and your world becomes very, very small.”
Aguilera-Viorato said the event is a chance for caregivers to learn how to widen that world a little bit and to learn about some of the resources they can draw from to stay strong and continue with the care they are providing.
Topics will include ways to prioritize self-care and emotional health and coping with the day-to-day challenges and stresses of caregiving, which very few people are prepared for when loved ones need help.
“Caregivers really have to evaluate what’s working for them as well as what’s working for the person that they’re taking care of,” Aguilera-Viorato said. “They need to know they have choices and options. And that it’s okay to change their minds.”
Sometimes just taking advantage of temporary assistance to allow a short break from the daily routine of caregiving can be very helpful.
“Caregivers often feel that there is no one else able to care for their patient,” Aguilera-Viorato said. “But we can always find someone else to do it. They might not do it in the same way, but you have to give yourself permission to allow someone else to take on some of the responsibility.”
Physicians from the San Benito Health Foundation will talk about what caregivers can do to maintain their health through nutrition and exercise and Randee Schwartz from the HPC will lead a brief introduction to yoga. But approaches to better mental health and coping will also be explored.
The stress and depression that can come with caregiving may also cause other health problems, according to Christina Andrade, a family consultant at HPC.
“There’s a lot of feelings of guilt that add to the stress and depression,” she said. “It is, in part, because the situation is something caregivers can’t control and so they just kind of want it to be over with. But there are resources we can offer caregivers who are struggling and sometimes it’s just a matter of us talking on the phone to find solutions.”
Besides the speakers at the event, participants will be able to talk to representatives of agencies that offer assistance to caregivers, including San Benito County In-Home Supportive Services, the San Benito Health Foundation, the Seniors Council, the Alzheimer’s Association, Jovenes de Antano and Senior Legal.
Caregiver University: Caring For U 2023 will take place April 22 at the Hollister Elks Lodge, 351 Astro Drive, Hollister. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. Tickets are free and can be reserved through Eventbrite.
Caregiver University Program
10 a.m.—Welcoming remarks by John Beleutz and Jessica Mattila
10:15 a.m.—Self-care: caregiver wellness presented by Sam Trevino
11:30 a.m.—Yoga with Randee Schwartz
Noon—Lunch/resource table
12:45 p.m.—Prioritizing Self-Care for Optimal Well-Being presented by Dr. Cordero
1:15 p.m.—Emotional Health to the Primary Caregiver presented by Dr. Vargas
1:45 p.m.—Raffle, closing words
2 p.m.—Conference ends
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Health Projects Center and Del Mar Caregivers for helping expand our senior health coverage. Health Projects Center supports more reporting on senior health issues and solutions in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
Since 1988, Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center (CRC) has served families of persons living with neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury and other conditions that cause memory loss and confusion.
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